Juraj Hreško

Abstract

A comparison was done of the timberline course from the mid-20th and beginning of 21st century, in Mengusovská Valley (Slovakia) and Rybi Potok Valley (Poland). These are two valleys in the High Tatra Mts. Aerial photo sand satellite images were used to assess the changes of the timberline in the two valleys. The course of the timberline ecotone in both valleys is similar. In both valleys, the stable timberline section is almost half of the total timberline length. In both valleys there has been an increase in the elevation of the timberline (on average by 10 m in the Mengusovská Valley and 15 m in the Rybi Potok Valley), and free spaces have been increasingly closing up. The progressive changes of the timberline are mainly due to the limit placed on human economic activity, and to climate warming. Inactive avalanche paths have led to an enlargement of the forest area in both valleys. The reduction of avalanche activity is the direct result of climate warming in the Tatra Mts. and from the decrease in the amount of snow in winters.

Keywords: snow avalanches, Carpathians, Tatra Mountains, photointerpretation, reafforestation, timberline ecotone

Ryszard J. Kaczka [ryszard.kaczka@us.edu.pl], Faculty of Earth Sciences University of Silesia in Katowice Będzińska 60, 41 -200 Sosnowiec: Poland
Michał Lempa, Faculty of Earth Sciences University of Silesia in Katowice Będzińska 60, 41-200 Sosnowiec: Poland
Barbara Czajka, Faculty of Earth Sciences University of Silesia in Katowice Będzińska 60, 41 -200 Sosnowiec: Poland
Karolina Janecka, Faculty of Earth Sciences University of Silesia in Katowice Będzińska 60, 41-200 Sosnowiec: Poland
Zofia Rączkowska [raczk@zg.pan.krakow.pl], Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization Polish Academy of Sciences, Św. Jana 22, 31-018 Kraków, Poland
Juraj Hreško [jhresko@ukf.sk], Department of Ecology and Environmentalistics Faculty of Natural Sciences Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra
Gabriel Bugár [gbugar@ukf.sk], Department of Ecology and Environmentalistics Faculty of Natural Sciences Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra

Abstract

The energy of high-mountain georelief is evidently transformed into intensity and rangeof impact of gravitational, water- or snow-induced processes, cryogenic processes, solifluctionand deflation. The altitude and climatic conditions of the alpine zone allow for the conservationof some relict or development of some recent processes in the periglacial environment. This paperpresents the results of direct measures of some geomorphic processes acting, or said to be active,in the alpine area of the Tatra Mountains. Measurements of debris flows and debris slides, aswell as of eolian-nivational, solifluction and ploughing boulder processes, have been conductedat 25 sites distributed across: the Jalovecká Valley in the Western Tatra Mts. of Slovakia, as wellas the source area of the Predné Meďodoly and Zadné Meďodoly Valleys in the Belianske Tatry.The results have been compared with those from previous observations.

Keywords: debris flows; debris slides; deflation; nivation; ploughing boulder; alpine zone; the Tatra Mountains; Slovakia

Juraj Hreško [jhresko@ukf.sk], Department of Ecology and Environmentalistics Faculty of Natural Sciences Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra
Gabriel Bugár [gbugar@ukf.sk], Department of Ecology and Environmentalistics Faculty of Natural Sciences Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra
Martin Boltižiar, Institute of Landscape Ecology SAS Bratislava, branch in Nitra Akademická 2, 949 01 Nitra, Slovakia
František Kohút, Institute of Landscape Ecology SAS Bratislava, branch in Nitra Akademická 2, 949 01 Nitra, Slovakia